The Safe Spaces Now Game Jam is a 7 day game jam where game developers and creators explore ways to foster safe spaces, both physical and virtual - and to prevent and mitigate abuse rooted in misogyny.

Why Safe Spaces Now Matters

It is a tragic truth that so many brilliant, kind people in the games ecosystem and beyond face harassment, abuse, and discrimination on a daily basis, in both physical and virtual spaces.

• Over 70% of women in the UK say they have experienced sexual harassment in public.
• Only 3% of women aged 18-24 told UN Women UK they had not been harassed.
• This is a global issue – almost 9 in 10 women in some cities around the world feel unsafe in public spaces.

As the prevalence of social media and the use of online platforms grows, so too does sexual harassment online. Furthermore, harassment occurs frequently in online settings relating to video games

• UN Women UK 2021 YouGov survey found that 17% of UK women online experienced online comments or jokes that made them feel unsafe or uncomfortable.
• 65% of women report harassment and statistically receive three times as much derogatory or insulting remarks than men.
• In a recent study conducted by Lenovo, 59% of women stated they use either a non-gendered or male identity when playing games online to avoid conflict.

What can we do to combat these unsafe spaces for people of marginalised genders?

A Brighter Future

Code Coven's mission is to turn the tide by creating and fostering safe spaces for underrepresented game developers and enthusiasts to collaborate, learn and grow.

UN Women UK and Code Coven have partnered to raise awareness and educate about these atrocities as a widespread issue across the games industry and society more broadly. With over 2 billion players globally, games serve as an immense and unique platform for storytelling and exploring hard-hitting themes.

We believe survivors. We believe in a nearby future where marginalised people do not have to expect harassment and abuse as inevitable.

Game Jam Details

Themes

• Translating behavioural solutions that work offline, into the online space
• Role-playing difficult conversations
• Incentivising positive behaviour, as bystanders or other
• Helping marginalised people find out about their rights and where to get help
• Creating educational content which encourages respect and boundaries
• Ways to approach empathy - why is harassment a problem and how can we help to reach non-marginalised people with that experience

Who?

This game jam is open to anyone aged 18+. We welcome participants from all genders, races, ethnicities, religions and abilities and encourage allies to participate. No previous game development experience is required!

In registering for this event, all participants must agree to adhere to our Code of Conduct.

How?

Register for the jam by clicking the "Join Jam" button above! We also recommend participants register for the jam via Eventbrite for further information about the event.

Where?

The Safe Spaces Now Game Jam will be hosted via itch.io and Discord. Final game projects must be submitted via itch.

Although it is not compulsory to join our Discord server, all communications before, during, and after the event will be facilitated on Discord, so we hope to see you there!

Please join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/codecoven

There's also an Eventbrite!

When?

16:00 BST Friday 20th August - 16:00 BST Friday 27th August 2021

Due to the global nature of our event our teams are welcome to operate during their own times, however our final end time will be 4:00pm BST. If you would like to submit your game to our game jam you will need to submit your game to our itch.io page by that time.

Eligibility Criteria

In order for a game to be eligible and accepted as a submission to the Safe Spaces Now Game Jam, all of the following criteria must be met:

• The game must be made during the game jam (August 20-27). Games whose development began prior to the starting date are not allowed. 
• Game development tools such as asset packs or plug-ins are allowed so long as credit is properly given to their original creators either within the game or on the game's itch page.
• Anyone who contributed to development of the game must be given proper credit for their work, either within the game or on the game's itch page.
• The game must have either a Windows or Mac build, or be an otherwise downloadable and playable analog game (i.e. a ruleset for a tabletop game).
• The game must be free to download or Name Your Own Price.
• The game must directly engage with, respond to, or be inspired by one or more of the Safe Spaces Now Game Jam themes. This must be done in a way that is aligned with the goals for the Safe Spaces Now movement. 
• Entries that perpetuate harassment or abuse, including but not limited to misogyny, transphobia, homophobia, racism, xenophobia, and ableism, will be rejected. (Note: As part of engaging with the Safe Spaces Now movement, we recognize these topics may come up in games; this will not make a game ineligible so long as they are addressed in ways that are aligned with the Safe Spaces Now movement.)
  
• If teams would like to continue developing the game made for the Safe Spaces Now Game Jam after the conclusion of the event, they should contact UN Women at safespacesnow@unwomenuk.org in order to further collaborate or otherwise remove mention of UN Women and Safe Spaces Now from future iterations of the game.

For further clarification:

• Anyone is eligible to participate in the Safe Spaces Now Game Jam! Participants do not need to be of a specific identity.
• There is no minimum or maximum team size; participants are free to work alone or with others.
• There is no requirement that certain game engines be used or game genres be made. This includes analog games such as roleplaying games or board games, so long as they can be submitted to the jam via itch and playable by anyone.

First Jam?

Check out these engines:

• Bitsy
• Twine
• Construct
• Flick-game

Need Help Creating Your Team?

If you are looking for team members, please join our Discord server, where you will have the opportunity to meet other participants and join existing teams or form new ones.

Learn More About Us

UN Women

UN Women is the global champion for gender equality and the elimination of violence against women and girls. Its mission is for every woman and marginalised person worldwide to have equal access to safety, choice and a voice: safety and freedom from violence and harassment, choice over her life, work and body, and a voice as a leader whose ideas are listened to by key decision-makers. 

UN Women is unique in working with all social levers to achieve equality, from delivering grassroots programmes to support the women and girls whose needs are greatest, to working with governments to design more equitable legislation and shifting norms through behaviour change campaigns. 

At the heart of what UN Women does is bringing people together to achieve change more quickly. Its ‘Safe Cities and Safe Public Spaces’ initiative has helped to transform urban areas worldwide for the past 10 years, and is now achieving change across the United Kingdom through UN Women UK’s Safe Spaces Now campaign.

Code Coven

Code Coven is the first online award-winning game development accelerator for people of marginalised genders. We aim to be intrepidly daring, providing marginalised developers with the skills and confidence needed to thrive in the games industry. Our mission is to increase representation within games at all levels, both off and on screen.

Code Coven has a strong sponsor and partner network composed of industry leaders, including Google DeepMind, Facebook Gaming, Clever Endeavor, Unity, Hangar 13, Niantic, Square Enix, Lego Ventures, East Side Games, Jagex and more.

If you are interested in sponsoring a scholarship or partnering with Code Coven, please contact partnerships@codecoven.co

Further Questions?

We will share more details about the jam theme, resources and submission guidelines nearer to the event start. If you have any questions in the meantime, please join our Discord and speak with our team! We can also be emailed at hello@codecoven.co